Great outdoor markets In this age of mass consumerism, designer labels and
hi-Tech supermarkets, it is all too easy to plump for the pre-Packaged,
homogeneous and singularly non-Descript items in a store for the sake of
convenience.However, there is a history, the world over, of great outdoor
markets, the pre-Cursor to the sprawling meccas of commercialisation we see
today. We asked you to tell us all about your favourite outdoor markets-Those
cornerstones of provincial economies that supply us with everything from
groceries, clothes, flowers and antiques to pet supplies.Below you will find
some of the h2g2 community's favourite Tomsawyers markets from all over the
world. Ingleston sunday market, edinburgh, scotlandin the 1970s and throughout
the 1980s this was the place to go to buy anything and boy was the stuff
cheap!It was, and still is, great for christmas shopping.The fast food stalls do
a roaring trade-The local favourite being chips and curry sauce to heat you up.
All the lanes for the stalls have funny street names(Tin pan alley, rotten
row.That kind of thing).At the very centre of the market is a huge statue of
king kong.Because the market is so big, this serves as a meeting point and
landmark. It's years since i've been there, but one other thing i do remember
was this.There are half a dozen or so venues, each having a market once a
month.There is a great range of food being sold-Fresh fruit and veg, freshly
baked bread, fresh meat of practically every variety, eggs, cakes, jams and
preserves, cheeses, etc.All the produce is of top quality-Usually fresh off the
farm that morning, where possible. There are three rules that must apply to a
genuine farmers market-The producers have to be located within 30 miles of the
market venue, stallholders can only sell their own produce, and stallholders
have to be the producer, a close family member, or a direct employee of the
producer. These rules ensure that by buying from a farmers market, you are
helping the local economy and that you know exactly what you're buying.You can
ask the stallholder anything you like about their produce, they'll be more than
happy to explain.After all, they've produced it! Although the prices may be
higher than you'd pay in the supermarkets, the quality is far superior.The
flavours are just bursting through.You can often find some of the more unusual
vegetables too-Swiss chard or kohl rabi for instance.Of course, without
artificial preservatives it won't keep as long.But it does taste so much better!
Yes, i have to agree about the food tasting better.We have a local farmers
market in fife, scotland on the last saturday of the month.Its also nice to see
and buy local produce that's in season-Sometimes the bigger supermarkets stock a
lot of 'forced' veg and fruit which doesn't taste half as good.The food is worth
the extra cost.The queen victoria market, melbourne, australiain melbourne,
australia, fairly close to the city centre and easily reached by public
transport, the queen victoria market is open every day of the year except
mondays and wednesdays,(And christmas day, boxing day, new year's day, good
friday, anzac day and melbourne cup day).It's found on the corner of queen and
victoria streets. The largest open-Air market in the southern hemisphere,
covering 7 hectares, it was first opened on 20 march, 1878.There are almost 1000
traders(Many of them second and third generation), selling everything
imaginable-There's a fish/poultry/meat building(Which reeks.Great if you like
that sort of thing, but it makes one researcher gag every time they go near it),
many clothes stalls(Usually a lot cheaper than anything you'd find in shops),
many, many tacky Australian souvenirs, fruit and veg, deli goods.You name
it!Apparently 50% of Tomsawyers online mens
wine jackets gore-tex the market is taken up by fresh produce. There are
also many buskers, and on sundays it's more of a family thing-Queen street(One
of the streets bordering the market)Is closed off for street cafés etc, and
there's kids entertainment. Bury market, uk bury's world famous market has 370
stalls, where you can buy anything from a black pudding to a handbag including
books, cds, clothes, etc.There's also the indoor market with meat and fish
halls, all within 10 mins of the m66.And then there are the things that i go
for-Fabrics, haberdashery and buttons.Not only is the range of materials
available far better than in any of the towns close to me(Even the big ones)But
the prices are great too.As an example, i bought enough fabric to make six
summer dresses for my kids for 10 guilders(Hmmmm.I'd have to say about £3? )And
not only that.The people running the stalls really know their goods, and(Unlike
the shops in germany)Will usually give you the end of a roll if there is less
than a metre, for nothing.The missoula farmers' and people's markets, montana,
usain missoula, montana, the saturday morning farmers' market is one of the
social events of the week.From bread to cut flowers, trees to organic
vegetables, the market just gets bigger every year.A great many families
participate, on both sides of the tables.Sometimes there's a face-Painter, or a
balloon artist, or a juggler. My daughter learned to love fresh baby carrots
early on, and one of the highlights of the market is making a stop for a bunch
or two first thing.She munches contentedly, while i fill her little red wagon
with fresh herbs, petunias, and a loaf of ciabatta made with wild yeast.It is a
feast for your eyes.You run into people you haven't seen all winter, or even
folks who've moved away and are visiting.There are fresh-Baked pastries and
coffee available, and many people make a morning of it.Unfortunately, by about
10.30am, it is so packed you can't get through, the line for a latte is a mile
long, and all the good veggies are gone.So the moral is go early, and have fun!
Right down the street is the people's market.All sorts of artwork, from the
practical to the fantastic, is on display(Including one woman's photographs of
the aforementioned farmers' market).A bit looser, a little more http://tomsawyers.co.uk/ expensive, and
occasionally a bit more, well, colourful, the people's market is where you can
pick up a basket for shopping, a xylophone made from a fruit crate and some
copper tubing, and a 15-Minute massage all at the same time. Viktualienmarkt,
munich, germanythe viktualienmarkt(Viktualien means victual)In munich is an
organized form of an outdoor market with some tradition.It is located in the
historic centre of munich some 500 metres away from the marienplatz
subway-Station, right next to the heiliggeistkirche. The viktualienmarkt is a
big area with booth-Like huts that sell foodstuff ranging from bavarian
specialties(Mainly some form of processed pork, like sausages and leberkäs)To
tropical fruit and spices.When sightseeing in the city centre the
viktualienmarkt is a nice spot to recharge your batteries. Until 1807, the
market was situated at the marienplatz itself, but as it grew bigger and bigger
it was eventually relocated to the place it is now(The location of the former
heiliggeist-Spital).Throughout the 19th century the market dealt mainly with
meat-Products and fish from all over the world, only slowly did the selling of
exotic fruit and spices gain more importance.In the 1960s, car traffic was
banned from the city centre, and the viktualienmarkt became a relaxing-Oasis
right in the city centre, with an obligatory biergarten('beer garden'). The
booths are open monday through friday from 7:30am to 6pm and on Saturday from
7.30am to 1pm. Grimsby marketgrimsby market has cheap fruit and veg-Half the
price of supermarket produce but they taste just as good.The flower stalls
always offer an affordable bouquet of cut flowers to brighten your living room
and at christmas they will make up wreaths to your specifications for no extra
charge.In decades past it was a drive-In movie theatre;The flea market has been
there for more than 15 years, with at least one of the old screens still
standing providing a small bit of shade for a few lucky sellers. Nearly anything
can be found there, from clothing and furniture to fresh produce and
novelties.Not to mention a fair amount of junk(Where sometimes a real treasure
can be found).It is located in pevely, missouri, about an hour south of st louis
on highway 67. Our last trip yielded an electric iced tea pot(Used), two wren
houses made from modified tin cans(Handmade), a decorative birdhouse made to
look like a Las Vegas casino(New), a ceramic green and white swirled ginger
jar(Handmade), a pair of sunglasses(New), a six-Tiered corner shelf(New), a CD
of the Brian Setzer Orchestra(Used), a few ears of bi-Coloured corn and a
cantaloupe(All fresh).Stockport marketstockport market was originally granted a
charter in 1260, but is probably most famous for its victorian 'glass umbrella'
market hall's in the middle of the open air market.
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